BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A Bakersfield man is on a mission of mercy to save others caught in the web of opioid addiction. His name? Mr. Narcan.
Michael Torres is “Mr. Narcan” to many community members — an activist who dedicates his time to distributing Narcan in often forgotten neighborhoods in Bakersfield.
“When they distribute Narcan, normally what I’ve seen, is they hit where a lot of people are, but then other areas that have what I call hot spots for drug activities, they get left out,” said Torres.
Areas of interest for Torres are east Bakersfield, Oildale and Lake Isabella. He sometimes faces close calls while delivering.
“I have administered Narcan like four times already,” said Torres. “The last one that I administered was on a female that required three of them. With the new Fentanyl going around, they’re mixing it with a horse tranquilizer called Tranq, which is not responsive to Narcan as good as it should be.”